Are children’s games muktzeh?
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Question
I heard that some say that it is not good to let children from the age of nine play games on Shabbat because they are muktzeh. Is this correct? And is there a difference between the various types of games?
Answer
Azmera Lishmecha, issue 160
Source
In Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim 338:5) it is stated that it is forbidden on Shabbat and Yom Tov to play with a ball. On this the Rema writes that there are those who permit it, and the custom is to be lenient. It seems that this refers specifically to the type of ball used in their days, when there was no specially manufactured utensil for this purpose, but rather the ball was made from rolled-up papers and the like, and such a ball is muktzeh by its very nature (muktzeh machmat gufo), like a stone (see Mishnah Berurah there, note 157). Those who are lenient hold that since the object is designated for play, it is not muktzeh and is not comparable to a stone. All the more so our modern games, which are made specifically as toys and games, are not muktzeh, though there are those who are stringent regarding a ball.
And although there are opinions that even contemporary games are muktzeh, in practice the halacha is ruled as stated above.
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